April 17, 2018 (Agua Dulce, Calif.): If there was an award for versatility at the NORRA Mexican 1000, it would have to go to JT Taylor. The first year he competed in "The Happiest Race On Earth!", he co-drove and was chief mechanic in the ELF class 11 car, the stock VW beetle class. Then in year two, he stepped up, ever so slightly, and was the co-driver in a Class 9 car. The following year, he returned in the ELF as the owner/driver. Both are Volkswagen powered cars with limited suspensions. Driving either one the length of the Baja Peninsula is hard core. There is a reason why the fans cheer loudly when the stock VW’s come through. They somehow manage to get through the same terrain that the unlimited cars and trucks can struggle to overcome.

JT Taylor has raced in every Mexican 1000 since 2010, starting off as co-driver and chief mechanic in the "Elf" Class 11. The second year he was a co-driver, in the Greenway Class 9, and the following year raced in the Elf (as pictured above) as owner/driver.

In years that he did not compete in the Beetle, he brought his vintage race car. His vintage car is not nearly as old as most of the vintage cars in the race, but it competed in a race that created a whole new genre of racing in 2007. JT is one of the O.G. 13 racers who competed in the very first King of the Hammers. King of the Hammers combines desert racing with rock crawling. Known as rock racing, JT and his friends were pioneers in the sport. Because it was a brand new form of racing, the innovation, and evolution of the cars rivaled the golden age of offroad racing where experimentation ran rampant. Bringing his O.G. 13 car to the event added to the long list of historic race cars and trucks that compete every year.

(Above) The O.G. 13 rock racer JT Taylor built has raced several events besides the Mexican 1000, including the original King Of The Hammers, and was the first Rock Racer to take on, and finish, the Pike's Peak hill climb.

The Mexican 1000 honors the past, while forging the future. First time racers compete next to icons of offroad racing, professional racers who compete today, and competitors who come from every walk of life. The Norra Mexican 1000 offers so much to those who come along. It’s a car show, a competition, and an adventure that provides memories that last a lifetime. There is no better way to experience Baja than during the Mexican 1000. That’s why racers like JT come back every year. This year will be the third year that JT brings his unique Twin Traction Beam (TTB) Ultra4 car to compete in. Anyone who loves custom fabricated race vehicles could spend hours drooling over the TTB car’s custom fabricated parts.

The TTB car was conceived and built while JT had position at Torchmate in Reno, NV. It later was sold to Robby Gordon by the owner and used by Robby for a short stint bearing the SPEED Energy orange and black. After the fact, JT purchased the car to restore to her present glory, flying the #13 flag of course, over the now blue and gold Powertank livery.

“The TTB car rides like a Cadillac,” says JT, “It’s really amazing. I love Baja, and the Mexican 1000 allows you to experience the entire peninsula without having to run at a pace that will kill yourself. I have friends in a lot of circles, but you develop a real bond with your fellow competitors during the NORRA rally; the camaraderie is special. I get to race against my heroes like Rod Hall, Ivan Stewart, and Walker Evans; there is nothing like it." Come join the fun at the NORRA Mexican 1000. Go to https://norra.com where you can find all the details.

Beginning in 2010, the National Off Road Racing Association (NORRA) began promoting a rebirth of the NORRA Mexican 1000 rally. The unique off-road rally was co-created by promoter Mike Pearlman to consist of special stages (unlimited speed timed stages in the dirt) linked together by controlled speed liaison / transit sections (highway). The one-of-a-kind, once-a-year, four-day rally includes vintage off-road vehicles and motorcycles, as well as modern desert Rally Raid cars, pre-runner trucks, buggies and motorcycles.

Pearlman's late father Ed and others established the first running of the NORRA Mexican 1000 off-road rally in November of 1967, which eventually became internationally recognized and evolved into the Baja 1000 in the mid-1970's.